Shuttle drive mechanism



June 13, 1950 B, J, oL s rr 2,511,773

SHUTTLE DRIVE MECHANISM Filed April 10, 1947 .s Sheets- Sheet 1 INVENTOR June 13, 1950 a. J. GOLDSMITH 2,511,773

SHUTTLE DRIVE MECHANISM Filed April 10, 1947 3 sheets-sheet 2 B; J. GOLDSMITH "SHUTTLE DRIVE MECHANISM June 13, 1950 s Sheets-Sheet s Filed April 10. 1947 v INVENTOR W /W BY f a I ATTORNEY 6 Patented June 13, 1950 SHUTTLE DRIVE MECHANISM Bertram J. Goldsmith NeShanic, N. .L, assignor to Royal Swan, Inc., Dover, Del.

Application April 10, 1947, Serial No. 140,685

6 Claims. 1

This invention relates to new and useful improvements in mechanisms for driving shuttles in looms.

An object of the invention is to provide a simple, emcient, strong, and durable device in which the stoppage due to breaking or jamming of the parts is reduced to a minimum.

A further object is to provide a simple, efllcient device in which the drive motor of the mechanism is instantly cut off when undue strains or loads are put upon the parts and wherein the amount of load to operate the cut-off meanscan be adjusted at will. i

Further and more specific objects, features, and advantages will more clearly appear from a consideration or the specification hereinafter set forth especially when taken in connection with the accompanying drawings which illustrate a present preferred form which the invention may assume and which form part of the specification.

Previous forms of looms have employed shuttle driving devices including straps and flexible elements therein which were out and required frequent replacement and which often suddenly broke and caused stoppage oi the operation. In this invention the drive mechanism is more positive in that it does not include such elements and consequently is not likely to wear as rapidly and to result in unexpected breakages.

The invention further includes a driving device in which there is a drive means and means for controlling it together with load-sensitive means associated with the shuttle mechanism to cut off the drive means when the load varies or becomes Fig.- 3 is a partial enlarged elevation or the.

control switch;

Fig; 4 is a vertical section through the switch takenon the line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a vertical section taken on the line I! of Fig. 2; and,

Fig. 6 is a vertical section taken on the line 8-4 ofFlg. 2,

Referring now merelyto the specific structure representing the present preferred .form of the invention shown in the drawings, it is apparent that there is provided a supporting frame member Ill having a flat top shelf I l on whi ch cert'ain of the operating parts are adjustably disposed. This frame or bracket in may bepreferablyattached to the side of the endframe of the looms in any suitable manner (not shown) since it forms no partof the imrenticn.v

The drive mechanism is activated from a power shaft I! connected to a drive motor. On this shaft I2 is a gear l3. meshing with apinion M on a shaft 15 on which there is a worm meshing with a worm gear I l on a shaft l8 one end of which carries. a cam plate l 9 one face of which is cut with a cam groove 20 of any desired configuration, In this groove or cam slot 20 there lies a cam follower 2| rotatably'disposed on the end of a rock arm 22,the other end of which is fast on a shaft 23 which extends laterally and horizontally awa from the cam plate 19 and is rocked by the rocking of the arm 22. This shaft 23 passes through a bearing sleeve 24. This sleeve is supported on the outer end of a plate 25 which has rear spaced bosses 26 disposed respectivcly inside and adjacent bosses 21 and are pivotally related thereto by means of pins 28. The bosses 2'! are disposedatopposite rear sides or a late 29 which has corner bolts 30 extending through slots ti in the plate H on which the plate 29 rests. By these slots and bolts the plate 29 is adjust-ed on the plate or shelf ll so that the v disposition of the shades and its related parts maybe easily determined. By reason of this construction it will be clear that the shaft 23 can be raised and lowered "since it is supported on an element which is pivoted at the pins 28. To restrain somewhat and in a predetermined marinerv this movement, the plate 29 has a medial elevated portion having slots 33- through which bolts 34 extend and by means of which a spring plate 35 can be adjusted by moving the bolts 34 along in the slots 33'and adjusting them as desired. Cross bars 34 extend across the top and bottom 01! the spring plate 35 and grip it between them This engagement is adjusted at the ends of bars 34 by means of the bolts 34 and nuts 36 associated therewith and disposed both above and below theends of the bars 34' as shown Thus by adjusting the bolts 34 in the slots '13 the fixed point-of the spring 35 can be varied and thus the resistance of the spring to paced upper and lower rack bars 4| and 42.

flexion be also varied. The other end of the spring 35 is held against the bottom of a lug 38 formed on the bearing sleeve 24 by means of another cross bar 35 extending across beneath the plate 35 the ends of which bar 35' being firmly gripped by means of bolts 31 in a manner similar to the action on the cross bars 34 above mentioned. Therefore this simple means enables the resistance of spring 35 to be varied at will by merely sliding the bolts along in the slots 33 and then tightening them up as desired.

as when a jam occurs, this sleeve will tend to At the left end of the shaft 23 as viewed in Fig. I 1, there are attached thereto fixed dependent arms 39 spaced apart thereon, the lower ends of which are bored to receive a drive rod 40 which is preferably rotatable in roller bearings disposed in said bores, the rod 40 extending between the arms 39. The shuttles (not shown) are operated in the usual fashion by association with a pair of The right ends of these rack bars are connected respectively to bracket plates 43 and 44 connected respectively to the upper and lower ends of a slotted plate 45 having a vertical slot 46 therein.

ing immediately back of it. These rollers are spaced apart and receive between them the drive rod 40 above mentioned and the space between .the rollers is substantially the same as the diameter of the rod. Thus the driving motion back and forth motion of. the rollers 49 on and with their supporting bracket plates 43 and 44 in a transverse direction is achieved with a minimum of friction and resistance since all of the rod 40 back and. forth in one line and the .2

the engaging parts, namelythe rollers 49 ands the rod are independently rotatable.

If, in the operation of the loom, the rack bars 4| and 42, which are reciprocating rapidly, become jammed in moving one way or the other,

there would be considerable damagedone if the drive motor could not be stopped at once and automatically as soonas the jam occurred, or as soon as too great a load was placed upon the drive mechanism. This quick stopping or disconnection of the motor is made possible by the following mechanism:

Attached to the front face of the lug 38 on the bearing sleeve 24 is a U-shaped plate50 in the respective legs of which are adjusted screws 5| with their ends extending into the space between the legs of the plate. Disposed between the ends of the screws are spring contact members 52 normally spaced apart andprovided with insulation'53 on their sidesadjacent the ends of the screws. These spring members 52 are insulatingly mounted on a plate 54 fastened to the front end of the plate 28 above mentioned. As the U-plate 50 moves up or down, one or the other screw will urge its respectivespring' element against the other to make contact therebetweenas at 55. These elements are connected in any suitable manner (not shown) to a relay which will, when energized, act to open the circuit of the drive motor and stop the mechanism. The move- 'ment of the plate 50 up and down is caused by the increase of the load on the device due to a jamming of the parts or to other causes. This increased load will cause the bearing sleeve 24 to be rocked up or down, against the resistance of the adjusted spring 35, depending upon the,

'move up or down and will cause a closing of the cally stopping the" motor the instant the above mentioned load conditions arise.

While the invention has been described in detail and with respect to a present'preferred form which the invention may assume, it is not to be limited to such details and form, since many changes and modifications may be made in the invention Without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in its broadest aspects. Hence it is desired to cover any and all forms and modificationsof the invention which may come within the language or scope of any one or more of the appended claims.

' What I claim as my invention, is:

1. In 'a device of the class described, an oscillatable shaft, 3, bearing sleeve in which it is disposed, a dependent arm' on said shaft, a shuttle rack bar, a shuttle drive rod on said arm and associated with said rack to moveit back and forth, a pivoted plate supporting said sleeve, a spring adjustably associated with said sleeve and tending tohold it in a normal axial line, a switch member on said "sleeve, a second and fixed switch member associated therewith, movement of said sleeve from normalposition causing a closure of said switch members, as and. for the purposes specified.

2.'In'a, device of the class described, a pair of spaced shuttlerack bars, a frame connecting adjacent ends thereof, a pair of spaced rollers on said frame, a rotatable shuttle drive rod extending between said rollers, an oscillating shaft from which said rod depends, a bearing sleeve in which said shaft is disposed,- a pivoted plate on which said sleeve is supported to permit movement of the sleeve transverse to its axis, and spring means engaging said sleeve and tending to restrain it in a normal axial position. I

' 3. In adevice of the class described, a pair of spaced shuttle rack bars, a frame connecting adjacent ends thereof, a pair of spaced rollers on said frame, a rotatable shuttle drive rod extending between saidrollers, an oscillatable shaft from which said rod depends, a bearing sleeve in which said shaft is disposed, a pivoted plate on which said sleeve is supported to permit movement of the sleeve transverse to its axis, spring means adjustably engaging :said sleeve and tending to restrain it in a normal axial position, circuit closing means on said sleeve, and movable theretion. v

4. In a device of the class described, a turnable shaft, a dependent arm connected to said shaft and a reciprocable driven member connected to said arm, a pivoted support for said shaft, resilient means tending to hold the support with the shaft inf-a normal position, said support adapted to swing around its pivot point when the load on the shaft exceeds a determined amount.

5. In a device of the class described, a turnable shaft, a dependent arm connected to said shaft and a reciprocable driven member connected to said arm, a pivoted support for said shaft, spring means engaging the support and tending to hold the support with the shaft in a normal axial position, said support adapted to swing around its pivot point when the load on the shaft exceeds a predetermined amount, and control means associated with the support and operated by the support when the support moves from its normal position.

16. In a device of the class described, an oscillating shaft, a pivoted support on which said shaft is mounted, a shuttle rack bar, a shuttle drive rod dependent from said shaft and associated with said rack bar to move the same back and forth, means for resiliently mounting said support to permit movement of the shaft around .the pivot point of the support under abnormal loads but maintaining the shaft in a normal axial 'position under normal loads thereon, and a controluswitch element associated with the support to be closed by the movement of the support from a normal position under abnormal shaft loads.

BERTRAM J. GOLDSMITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

V, V UNITED STATES PATENTS Number 

